


Diaries: From the Ashes - Season 1

by Entangled_mess



Series: Diaries - From the Ashes [1]
Category: Minecraft (Video Game), aphmau - Fandom
Genre: Explicit Language, Fantasy, LGBTQ Themes, Minecraft Diaries - Aphmau, Minor Character Death, Not Canon Compliant, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Out of Character, magick, you don't need to know the original to enjoy this
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-04
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-03-14 22:01:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,299
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28552779
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Entangled_mess/pseuds/Entangled_mess
Summary: There may be a lot of rewrites out there, but this one I hope you all will like. Accurate characters based on backstory! LGBTQ representation! Plot twists that people don't see coming? All of that is included. And of course, the Chicken Shaman is still here.
Relationships: Aphmau & Garroth Ro'Meave, No Romantic Relationship(s)
Series: Diaries - From the Ashes [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2091948
Comments: 3
Kudos: 11





	1. Prologue - The First Meet

She awoke with a start, her mind foggy and dazed.

She couldn’t comprehend where she was, her thoughts running a mile in a minute. All she knew is that one moment there was nothing, and the next, there was something.

Shooting up from where she was laid down, when did she lay down? Ignoring that. She looked around in a panic, spotting a man cloaked in green staring at her. Who was he?

The instant their eyes met the stranger turned around and started to run. She stood as best as she could and started running after him. At first she stumbled, but kept running. It felt like her legs hadn’t been used in an eternity, but she pursued anyway.

Twisting and turning through the trees, she pursued this stranger. Maybe he had answers for her, about where she was and why she woke up in the middle of a forest.

She called out to him with the best of her abilities, but her voice was scratchy, it hadn’t been used in a while, that was obvious. With a small grunt in her voice she helplessly continued the chase.

That is, until buildings rose on the horizon, and with the buildings came voices.

“Why do we have to patrol? It’s not like anyone is going to mess with a village such as ours,” a male voice. He sounded young and he was complaining. She stopped in her tracks, rustling the bushes around her. Panicked, she committed and hid herself. Another voice sounded.

“For reasons like that Zenix. You heard that? Something sounded in the bushes, albeit most of the time they are animals, but the few times they are people, it is a blessing that we find them before they find us,” This voice was older and deeper. It had a small scratch to his voice that was oddly comforting, but as of right now, she was a prey in a trap.

Did the cloaked stranger lead her here on purpose?

She heard a sword be unsheathed from a belt and she unwillingly let out a small yelp. Whoever was there stopped in their tracks.

“Who goes there. Reveal yourself before we attack,” Scared to disobey, she stepped out from where she was hiding and faced the two she had heard.

One of them was wearing a helmet, his entire body covered in some sort of armour. The armour itself wasn’t all that impressive, however on the shoulder held a blue insignia of a phoenix on it.

The other person wore the same armour except his insignia was a simple black color. This person had his helmet off as well. He looked young, with brown hair and matching eyes. He also wore a red mask that covered his mouth. The one with the helmet on spoke first.

“A lady! Oh forgive us. We thought you were an intruder. What are you doing so far out into the forest?” She wracked her brain, but it came up empty. She opened her mouth to speak but was cut off by Zenix.

“How do we know if she’s a threat or not? You just told me that there could be intruders and we’ve literally never seen her befo-” The one with the helmet smacked the back of Zenix’s head to get him to quiet down.

“She is clearly unarmed and showing signs of actual confusion and fear. She is not a threat,” Zenix grumbled an apology and the other spoke up again towards her.

“Forgive him, he may be my apprentice, but he clearly hasn’t learned his manners from me. Once again, I’ll ask. What are you doing so far out into the forest?” She spoke her mind, saying she wasn’t sure. The helmeted one made a noise of acknowledgement.

“Hmm. Alright then. You should accompany us back to our village of Phoenix Drop. Our Lord should be able to help you out. Oh! Pardon us we never introduced ourselves. I am Garroth, head guard of Phoenix Drop. This is Zenix, like I said he’s my apprentice. Pleasure to meet you m’lady,” the one with the helmet, Garroth, motioned to the smaller one and then held out his hand. She shook it, something settling into the back of her mind that she wants to protect whoever may be behind that helmet.

“Who are you anyways? I haven’t seen you around before,” Zenix spoke. She gave a small smile.

“My name is Aphmau,”


	2. Small Town, even Smaller Tempers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some more characters for you all to cherish and love until you can't anymore!

The walk to the village wasn’t a long one. It wasn’t anything special either. Garroth provided idle chatter as they walked. It was oddly soothing..

After a while, they reached a pathway that led into the village. It was small and quaint, made of different gravel and rocks. It didn’t look like it would be fun to walk barefoot on.

With that, Garroth turned around and gestured towards the houses, “Welcome to Phoenix Drop! It may not be much, but it’s our home and that makes it special to me. We should probably head to the lord’s house and introduce you to him. Come, this way.”

He turned back around and started to walk through town. He held himself with poise as he confidently walked the path. Zenix, however, was a bit different. He held himself close to the floor, as if he were trying to blend in with it. Completely different characters.

As they walked into the village, the roads seemed to convey what the town was like as well. The houses themselves were small and randomly littered by the road. They barely looked big enough to fit a bed, let alone a person or two. The houses that were bigger were no better as well. They were comfortable enough to fit a couple chests and a bed, but it didn’t look like a home. It didn’t feel like anyone living there was comfortable with it.

There were few people lining the streets, the small houses reflecting how many people were there. They were having small talk, and idle chatter fluttered through the streets.

However, as Aphmau walked by their conversations changed. They all took notice of her and their once comfortable conversations filled the air with baseless gossip.

“Who’s the new girl?” “Can’t be anything good if she’s being escorted by Garroth and Zenix,” “What are those clothes?” comment after comment and even from behind she could tell Garroth was getting a bit fed up. His movements were a bit more rigid than before. 

“It is best if we get there quickly,” Garroth’s voice cut through the chatter and sped up his movements, surprising Zenix. Aphmau stumbled along behind them as they followed the path deeper into the village, eventually coming across a path that strayed into the forest.

“The lord has his house a tiny bit away from the village. We always question him about it, but all he says is that he enjoys the scenery,” That explains why his house is so far away. The trail eventually abruptly ended and changed to solid rocks and pebbles that acted as a lining to the sides of the path, having most of the floor be dirt and grass. A house soon appeared.

The house, albeit small, was larger than the other houses in the village. It was made of stone bricks, with logs acting as support. From inside light chatter could be heard. A man and a woman.

Garroth strided up to the door and did two short knocks.

“Lord Malik! We need to speak to you!” The chatter inside ended and some rustling could be heard before the door swung open and they were faced with a man. He had blonde hair and some scruff on his chin. He had piercing blue eyes that seem to command those he looked at.

“Garroth, what is it- Well what do we have here! A young maiden. Say, what is your name?” he inquired. This has to be Lord Malik then. With a short smile, Aphmau introduced herself to the lord.

“Aphmau, what a peculiar name. I haven’t heard it before, so where are you from?” With a slight frown Aphmau shook her head slightly, looking down. Garroth answered for her.

“That’s the problem, we don’t know. We found Lady Aphmau in the forest here. She seems to have no recollection of how she got there, so we figured we should bring her to you since she’s never been seen around here,” Lord Malik gave a thoughtful nod before smiling.

“Well, that certainly does sound troublesome. Say, do you remember where you’re from?  
It might be best to return you to your village,” Aphmau wracked her brain. It was filled with fuzzy static the harder she tried to think.

“I’m not sure… I wouldn’t mind staying here in Phoenix Drop however,” Aphmau’s mouth moved before her brain could. Everyone seemed a bit surprised by her words, especially herself.

“Alright then. That settles it. Garroth, get her set up in the library with Emmalyn. I’m sorry miss Aphmau. I would try to get you your own place to stay, however we don’t have the resources for that. For now, you’ll have to stay with Emmalyn. I apologize in advance for her temper,”

With a short nod, the Lord turned around, “Now if you don’t mind me, my wife and I were having a nice chat. Hope everything turns out alright.”

Lord Malik entered his house and quickly the idle chatter could be heard again. Garroth huffed and turned towards Aphmau.

“Well that settles it. Let’s get you checked in with Emmalyn. Knowing her, she won’t be happy to be sharing the Library with someone else, but it’s orders so I can’t not let you stay there,” Suddenly it occurs to her that she doesn’t think she remembers spotting a library on the way. Was it a bit off of the trail like the lord’s house was? 

Thoughts like that plagued her mind as they walked back towards the village. Before she knew it, they were already back in town, heading to a place that Aphmau could only assume was a plaza.

The plaza was a bit nicer than the rest of the village. There were small stands lining the edges and the path became a nice stone. It was empty though. Very empty.

Aphmau was snapped out of her thoughts by Garroth pointing towards a building near the plaza. It was a bit bigger than the other buildings, but could that really be the library?

“That’s where you’ll be staying,” Garroth looked at Aphmau and let out a small chuckle, “Don’t be worried about the size. It’s bigger than you’d think it is,” Garroth strode over to the building, Zenix and Aphmau followed.

Zenix seemed to be getting increasingly worried as they approached. He rubbed his arm and he looked like he was sweating bullets. Aphmau was honestly a bit worried by how distraught the boy was looking.

Garroth, ignoring Zenix however, reached the door and sharply knocked on it. From inside, a soft grumbling could be heard before a girl with glasses and blonde hair opened the door.

“What could someone want that they don’t just walk in and instead choose to knock the door-” she stopped mid sentence, “YOU!”

In one second flat Emmalyn was in Zenix’s face and spouting so many words that Aphmau couldn’t keep up.

“You really have the balls to come back here after last time?? OR, did you already forget you smooth-brained imbecile!” She was shaking Zenix and if this was a cartoon world, steam would be pouring out of her ears. Garroth sighed and put a hand on Emmalyn’s shoulder, momentarily stopping her.

“Emmalyn, we’re not here to let you harass my apprentice,” Emmalyn gave Garroth a sharp glare before letting go of Zenix. He dropped to the ground and Emmalyn then turned all of her anger to Garroth.

“So what are you here for then?” Garroth gestured towards Aphmau and immediately Aphmau regretted her decision of deciding to stay here. Emmalyn, with the eyes of a hawk, stared Aphmau up and down.

“Who in Irene is she? And why is she so important to bother me about it?” If looks could kill, all of them would be dead several times over.

“She’s going to be staying with you,”

“Under whose orders??”

“Lord Malik’s.”

Emmalyn started mumbling to herself angrily before stopping. She turned towards Aphmau, then to Garroth, before storming back into the Library.

Garroth mumbled a small good luck before turning to Zenix and helping him off of the ground. They started walking off and Aphmau wished she had the strength to run after them and possibly crash in a tree. Anything else than be with the angry Pomeranian of a woman.

Cautiously Aphmau stepped into the library, which Garroth was right about, it was bigger inside. The floor was dug out and the entrance was just a small balcony that viewed the library below. For a moment, Aphmau was in awe of this place. She hadn’t seen anything like this before.

Then she was thrown back into the present with a short ‘ahem’ from Emmalyn. She stood off to the side with her arms crossed, glaring daggers at Aphmau.

“First of all, I don’t like you. I am being forced to share this place with you, so don’t expect me to treat you nicely just because Lord Malik says so. Secondly, you as much as DARE damage a book, and let’s just say that not even Irene could find your body,” Chills ran down her spine as Emmalyn turned away and walked down a staircase that led to the library.

This was going to be a long day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I just wanna put out there that I am currently a student. With school it may be a bit hard to keep up an active posting schedule. I'll try to post at least 2 updates per week, but I can't make any promises. Sorry in advance.
> 
> With that said, you've met Emmalyn and the lord! Appreciate them while you can.


	3. Divine Knowledge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lore dumping. That's it. Enjoy.

If Aphmau had to describe how everything was going, she would describe it as a wasteland with fire everywhere and no life at all. She felt like she was dead on her feet and it had only been a couple of hours at most. 

Emmalyn had officially sucked the life out of her. She was like the Níðhöggr, slowly gnawing away at the Yggdrasil tree. She may be short and innocent looking, but that is all just a ruse. She was fiercely overprotective of her books. This may be a library, but it certainly wasn’t a public one.

Speaking of, Aphmau had made herself comfortable in a small corner of the library. She had laid a blanket down and was reading a small book. It was about plants, and honestly wasn’t very interesting, but it was better than having to deal with the wrath that is Emmalyn.

From above, a small jingle sounded out as the door opened. Closing the book, Aphmau looked up towards the balcony, recognizing the helmet of Garroth.

“Lady Aphmau?” a small smile made its way across her face as she called back.

“Thank Tivar I was worried it was Emmalyn for a moment,” she saw Garroth cock his head slightly.

“Tivar..? Nevermind that, wanna talk for a bit? I have some time off and I’m sure that you’re a bit annoyed being stuck in the library with Emmalyn,” Putting the book down, Aphmau stood up, stretching her legs.

“Yeah that’d be nice,” she made her way over and up the stairs, meeting Garroth at the top.

“So what do you have in mind?” 

“Let’s just walk and talk for a bit yeah? Get some stress out,” Aphmau nodded slightly, and with that they left the library.

They wandered aimlessly for a bit, lightly chatting as the minutes passed by. Eventually, the ice was broken though.

“So, have you remembered anything yet?” The sudden question surprised Aphmau a bit, but she responded.

“No, not yet. I’ve been busy avoiding Emmalyn’s wrath,” That earned a small chuckle from Garroth.

“Fair, she can be a bit much to deal with. She really can be kind though, just give it time.”

“That’s the biggest lie I think I’ve ever heard.” They both started laughing, earning a couple looks from people walking by, but they paid no mind to them.

“It’s not a lie, but if you’re that adamant then I guess she’ll forever be mean.”

Thinking about it, it did make sense. No one is mean just to be mean right? 

She nodded slightly, and after a moment of silence, Aphmau spoke her mind.

“Why is the village so run down?” Garroth seemed a bit surprised by that. Under his breath he mentioned something about being blunt before responding.

“As of late, different lords have been disappearing and dying. This has caused the lords of other villages to close off all trade, interaction, anything really, in their paranoia. Phoenix Drop relied a bit on the trade for our resources, but since trade has closed down we haven’t been able to thrive. We are small as it is, we don’t have the people that could fix things. We have maybe a couple people who can build or farm, but alone they can’t really do much,” Aphmau nodded thoughtfully. 

“Why are Lords being killed?”

“We are unsure. Typically the head guards of the neighboring villages would meet to discuss matters and uphold code. However, we haven’t been able to meet because of this ordeal. It’s quite sad,”

“Wouldn’t it be best to unite and work together in some sort of alliance? We could fight this enemy together then,” Garroth sharply inhaled, earning an eyebrow raise from Aphmau.

“You really don’t know anything do you?”

“What does that mean?” Garroth sighed and pinched at where his nose would be under the helmet.

“Long ago, back when Irene and the Divine Warriors were alive, there was an alliance. It was between many different powerful villages. However, it was this alliance that led to the downfall of so many things. People felt threatened by such powerhouses being aligned together. They believed that if they wanted to take over everything, they could. So in retaliation, the other villages and people attacked. If it weren’t for the Divine Warriors, Ru’aun wouldn’t be the place that it is today.” Static swarmed in Aphmau’s mind. Divine Warriors? Irene? Whatever could be be talking about?

“Who are these… Divine Warriors you speak of?” Garroth stopped walking and just stared at Aphmau for a few moments.

“You’re joking right?” Aphmau shook her head and Garroth let out a defeated laugh.

“Oh Esmund- I mean. Everyone has at least heard of the Divine Warriors, even if they don’t worship them,” Garroth sharply inhaled, “Okay then. Guess I’m teaching History now.”

“Over 900 years ago, magick was being discovered. People weren’t used to magick, and thus people were either deemed Gods, or Demons based off of their powers. The Divine Warriors had powerful magicks. Altogether there were 6 members. Irene, Enki, Esmund, Kul’zak, Menphina, and Shad.”

“Irene was the leader. Her homeland was Ru’aun, thus why you’ll hear so many people worship her name around here. Many are unsure of what powers she held, however it is said that Lady Irene grew the entirety of the forest that separates Scaleswind and O’Khasis. She was said to have life powers that she used to help many. All of the other members were just as powerful though.”

“Enki the Keeper was knowledgeable. Admittedly, I don’t know much about him, however based on what little information I do know, he was very devoted to knowledge and learning. There are rumors that he has a library hidden somewhere and in this library it holds information regarding everything possible.”

“Esmund the Protector was devoted. Much like his title states, he protected those he needed to. I do know more about Esmund. He seemed to have powers to protect, force fields of sort. They also said that he could summon weapons at will, however these are all just rumors.”

“Kul’zak, Menphina, and Shad I have the least amount of information on. Kul’zak was widely known as ‘the Wanderer’. Based off of that name alone, I could guess that he may have some sort of traveling powers, but that’s just speculation. Menphina was known as ‘the Fury’. That alone makes her seem very powerful, possibly some sort of strength powers.”

“Finally Shad. He was known as ‘the Destroyer’. Everything about him has been destroyed. Admittedly, I only know his name from a tomb that has been passed down through my family. His name has negative connotations, so I can only imagine what he could do. Maybe his name was hidden for a reason…” Garroth trailed off for a moment before shooting back into reality.

“Sorry, thinking out loud there. Together, they were the Divine Warriors. They traveled all around helping people. Because of this, they are widely seen as Gods and are worshipped all over the world. In Phoenix Drop, the people worship Irene. In O’khasis though, they worship Esmund. I’ve heard rumors that in the region of Tu’La they worship Kul’zak. Anyways, that’s it. Once again, it surprises me that you don’t know any of that,” Wrapping her head around that information was a lot. It sounded familiar, but at the same time it didn’t. Those names meant something, she couldn’t place it though.

“Thank you Garroth. That… makes sense I guess. It’s a bit much though,” Garroth laughed. Admittedly, Aphmau didn't understand much of what he said. Mainly, she was confused at the villages that are apparently called 'Scaleswind' and 'O'khasis'. Not wanting to ask more useless question though, she stayed quiet.

“Yeah. I do know more than most. A lot of the people around here can’t tell you the other members of the Divine Warriors besides for Irene. People blind themselves to things that don’t concern them.”

They continued to walk and talk for a bit more. Before either of them had realized, the sun was already setting. It was around this time that Aphmau had decided. She would do whatever she could to help this village. She would build, plant, lead, do anything to help these people.

They had said their goodbyes and Aphmau made it back to the library. It was quiet as Aphmau settled down. Closing her eyes, she was excited for the future.

If only she knew what was going to happen. Then maybe she would’ve turned back and never had said she’d stay.

Maybe then she could’ve saved them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From here the chapters should get a lot longer. This was just the introduction to this huge world, so be prepared.   
> Also, did you like that foreshadowing? You have no clue what it means and oh boy am I excited for you to theorize about this until it is revealed why she would regret staying.


	4. A Flood doesn't wash away the smoke in my lungs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Plot? Plot.

Time flew very quickly. Before long, a month had already passed and in that time, Aphmau had helped the village in any way she could.

She helped expand houses, plant gardens and crops, became friends with the townspeople. She did anything that her heart said was right. Yet, it felt like she was standing still. No matter what she did, she always ended up in the same spot.

Trapped in a loop of helping, but not mattering in the end. If she were to stop, the village would revert back to a state of decay. She felt like she was sinking even though the village may be thriving.

Garroth helped though. More often than not, Garroth could be found helping Aphmau out with whatever project she gave herself that day. He helped her renovate houses, plant crops, he even helped introduce her to some of the townsfolk. They interacted like they knew each other their entire lives.

Which was why when Aphmau woke up that morning, everything felt alright when Garroth met her at the door.

“So what do you have planned for today?” Aphmau thought about that question for a moment. There were so many things to do, yet so little at the same time. Eventually, she came to a conclusion.

“We could help out with the Lord. I’m sure he has a lot on his plate,” Garroth seemed a bit surprised by that statement. In that month, Aphmau became pretty adept at reading Garroth, even when he is hidden behind a helmet. He had these cues, that to an untrained eye would be missed.

Comfortable silence filled the air as they made their way over to the Lord’s house. By this point, Aphmau had the entire village memorized like the back of her hand. As they walked, a few people waved and did small greetings.

Halfway there they were stopped by an older woman. Donna.

“Good morning! So what do you two have planned for today? I swear, every time I see you two you guys are together,” Garroth sputtered a little bit. Aphmau smiled and answered.

“We’re helping out with the lord today!”

“That’s nice, Now, off you go, wouldn’t want to keep you guys from your business,” With a small chuckle, Donna waved us off.

We arrived at the Lord’s house eventually. Outside sat Matilda playing with her son, Levin. Levin was bubbling with laughter as Matilda played with him. She noticed their presence and waved them over.

“Lady Aphmau! Garroth! Pleasure seeing you two! What is it that we could help you with?” she excitedly gasped, “Did you regain your memories!” With a small chuckle, Aphmau responded.

“Not yet, sadly. We came by to help out with Lord Malik,” Matilda’s face turned surprised at that.

“Well… What do you plan to help him with?” Aphmau confidently raised her hand ready to answer, before a puzzled expression set across her face. She slowly lowered her hand.

“I… Hadn’t thought that far yet,” This earned a laugh from Garroth and Matilda. Aphmau couldn’t help but laugh along with them. Levin made little aba aba sounds from where he sat.

A soft smile made its way across Matilda’s face as she went and picked up Levin.

“Yeah! Lady Aphmau is pretty funny isn’t she,” she turned to face Aphmau and Garroth again, “If you really want to help out, you could keep Levin company. A lot of the work Malik has is paperwork which I’m sure you don’t want to deal with. Besides, little Levin here can be a bit much for both of us,” 

“That sounds good to us. Right Aphmau?” Garroth turned slightly towards Aphmau. She nodded.

“Yeah! I haven’t had time to properly get to know Levin so this works!” Matilda beckoned them over and had them sit on the blanket she had set out.

“Hey Levin. These nice folks are gonna play with you for a bit okay? Mommy isn’t going to be far,” she put Levin down onto the blanket. He babbled a little bit before attempting to crawl towards Matilda, “He is relatively well behaved, so there shouldn’t be any problem. He loves his blanket, so make sure he has it on him.”

Matilda stood up and brushed what dirt may have been on her skirt. Levin started babbling for her. Aphmau gently picked him up into her lap and his babbling stopped. Matilda waved a small goodbye before going into the house.

“So then. What shall we do then Levin?”

-

Like Matilda said, Levin was relatively well behaved. He only ever started crying when he was hungry around midday. By that point, Matilda had come out to give them the milk Levin would drink. Aphmau is pretty sure her heart had overridden with serotonin by that point.

“Do you want to hold him?” Aphmau looked expectantly at Garroth. He seemed a bit caught off guard.

“What?”

“I said, do you want to hold him? He’s been clinging onto me this entire time. I thought you two could share some bonding time. However, I guess it wouldn’t be all that comfortable with that armour of yours…” Garroth stayed silent.

“Why.. Do you wear your armour constantly anyways? Or just your helmet?” Aphmau was pretty sure Garroth was sweating bullets at this point.

“I mean… I. Just do,”

“We both know that’s not the reason. Come on! I’m sure you look good! A good face has got to match that voice!” He was flustered. Or nervous. Possibly both. Garroth sighed.

“I.. Keep myself hidden for a reason. I wouldn’t wear this all the time if I didn’t have to,” A small pout made its way onto Aphmau’s face.

“Awhh. Okay then. I just wanted to see what your face looks like. Guess I’ll just have to wait til the day you can take off your helmet,”

“Thanks Aphmau,”

“Anytime. Now. It’s getting pretty dark isn’t it. I think it’s time we retire this little rascal back to his mom,” Aphmau gestured to the, now, asleep boy in her arms. Garroth nodded.

Together they stood up and returned Levin back to Matilda. At this time, Malik was also with her. They thanked them for watching over Levin and went their separate ways.

Aphmau made it back to the library and with a small goodbye headed to her bed. Much like every other day, it was very uneventful.

Static clouding her mind, she fell asleep.

And woke up with a boom.

Startled, she fell out of her small bed. One room over she could hear Emmalyn complaining about whatever that loud noise that woke her up.

Her mind raced before a second boom sounded through the skies.

Terror climbed her way up her throat.

Without thinking, Aphmau rushed out of the library. Smoke flooded the skies. The previously visible stars were nothing more than void. Ruckus could be heard from most houses.

With a scream, Aphmau realized where the smoke was coming from.

She ran. She ran as fast as possible to Lord Malik’s house. As she got closer smoke flooded her senses and ash rained from above.

She reached the clearing.

She collapsed to her knees right as she heard someone approaching from behind.

“What the- Lady Aphmau! Aphmau are you alright! This. Oh no,” Garroth ran up to her and put his hands on her shoulders. His tight grip grew incredibly slack as he looked at the scene in front of him.

The entire house was ablaze. Flames danced into the skies and roared. A victory cry for its claimed prey.

Lord Malik, Matilda, and Levin. They were in that house. That thought struck both Aphmau and Garroth at the same time. Garroth started to dash forward towards the house. Maybe if he was fast enough, he could save them.

Aphmau reached her hand towards Garroth, screaming towards him. The fires roared and silenced her though. Her screams went unheard as Garroth reached the house.

Right as he was about to reach where the door was, heavy footsteps sounded from the house, somehow louder than the fires. As if they wanted to be heard.

The footsteps grew louder and its source appeared in the doorway.

Slung over his shoulder lay Lord Malik. Dead.

“You- How could you!” Garroth drew his sword at this individual. A shrill laughter filled the air as a pit formed in their stomachs.

No.

This couldn’t be right.

The individual’s face became visible through the flames. Before he wore Phoenix Drop’s armour. Now, he was clad in a red armour made of materials neither Aphmau nor Garroth recognized. Tightly gripped in his right hand was a blood red sword. His eyes, once brown and kind, were red and held so much malice. He no longer wore his mask, and a scar was visible across his neck.

“Zenix… Zenix how could you!?” Garroth’s voice was choked up. Zenix growled.

“I’m just claiming my right. Immortality sure does sound nice doesn’t it,”

“Immortality? Zenix what are you talking about?! You just- Oh Esmund. You just killed them! How does immortality have anything to do with assassination?! You’re making no sense,”

“I died Garroth,”

“What?”

“Garroth I died! All because you were too busy with THAT!” he furiously pointed his sword at Aphmau, “woman! You ignored me! You- You abandoned me! I knew you would eventually leave, just like everyone else! So soon too! After you promised you’d never leave me!” He wildly gestured, his voice becoming more erratic as he yelled.

“But you know what? I was revived! And I was given a place!” An insane laugh made its way out of Zenix, leaving a sense of dread in Garroth and Aphmau.

“Zenix. I- I didn’t mean to-” Zenix cut him off.

“That doesn’t change the past. Oh how long I’ve wanted to do this,” Zenix threw Lord Malik to the ground, as if he were nothing more than trash, and swung his sword at Garroth. Just in time, Garroth was able to block it. It was obvious though he was surprised at whatever new strength Zenix had.

“Zenix! Please I’m-” Zenix silenced him once more with another swing of the sword. A loud clash sounded through the air as their swords met.

“I can’t stand your voice! Just shut up! Shut up!” Zenix swung once more, but this time he was stopped by another individual. This man had pitch black hair and wore a black noble-esc type outfit.

“Zenix that’s enough. We only came to kill the lord and his family,” Zenix’s face twisted angrily before hesitantly lowering his sword. He kept a glare at Garroth.

“Now then, let’s get this over with,” This mystery man turned around and walked towards Garroth. From here Aphmau could see that he had dull blue eyes. Garroth raised his sword defensively.

“Hey there. I’m not going to hurt you. In fact, I’m about to take away the pain,” the man rushed at Garroth faster than Aphmau’s eyes could follow. She blinked and in the next moment Garroth laid unconscious in the man’s arms, his hand rested firmly on Garroth’s forehead.

“What.. What did you do to him?!” Aphmau cried out. Laying Garroth on the ground, the man started walking towards her. Aphmau begged for her legs to move, to get off of the ground, but as if frozen in fear, they stayed.

“No need to worry, I just made him forget. Now then,” The stranger rushed forward and placed his hand on her forehead. There was nothing she could do.

“Goodnight.”

-

She awoke with a start, sweat dripping off of her forehead as dread filled in her stomach. Was that.. Just a dream?

The commotion coming from outside told her that no, it was not a dream.

Confusion wrapped her mind. She woke up in her bed. She remembered passing out at the Lord’s house after that mysterious individual touched her forehead. The same thing he did to Garroth.

Wait. Garroth.

Shooting up a headache formed at her temples. With a hiss she ignored it and got out of bed. She felt weaker.

She made her way outside and noticed the many voices coming from the plaza.

They were grief ridden.

She made her way to the plaza and almost immediately she was wrapped in a hug. Garroth.

Thank Tivar.

“Aphmau. Oh thank Esmund you’re alright. I thought we lost you too since you didn’t appear,”

“What.. What do you mean by that?” Her voice was scratchy, the events of last night, the smoke and yelling, affecting her vocal chords.

“The Lord.. He’s.. He’s dead. We gathered the whole village in the plaza but you. You never answered when I went to get you so I-. I just assumed the worst,” Garroth let go of Aphmau and she could clearly see that the entire village was gathered in the plaza. Most of them were crying. A coffin lay at the end of the area.

Her eyes locked onto an individual that she remembered from last night.

You.

“What is he doing here,” Her tone was harsh as she glared at Zenix. Garroth looked confused.

“What do you mean? He’s my apprentice. Of course he’s here to grieve the Lord,” Confusion swarmed Aphmau’s mind once again. He watched Zenix carrying Malik’s corpse. He killed the Lord. How could he act so casual.

Then it struck her.

That mystery man. He said he made them forget. He was going to make them all forget.

Then why does she remember?

Pushing that aside, it solidified in her. She was the only person, besides for Zenix, who knows what he actually did last night. She would have to be the one to bring them justice since no one else could.

Keeping her eyes trained near Zenix, they walked deeper into the plaza. From around her, many people cried. Words of “What do we do now?” and “He was the best lord we could’ve asked for,” sounded around her.

She noticed Donna and Emmalyn walking towards the front of the plaza. Donna’s face held tear tracks and Emmalyn kept her gaze downcast. This was the first time Aphmau had ever seen Emmalyn quiet when she was not reading a book.

Donna cleared her voice and everyone turned their attention towards them.

“We… We have suffered a.. Tremendous loss today. I- We are at a loss of words for what has occurred.”

“Lord Malik was a great man. He did what he thought was best for the village and he.. Will be deeply missed. We.. are unsure if what happened to Malik has also struck Lady Matilda and Levin, but we pray to Lady Irene that they are safe somewhere.” sounds of agreement sounded through the crowd as Emmalyn began to speak up.

“With.. With that said. Phoenix Drop can’t continue without someone to lead us so… In place of the Lord, according to the laws of the land, Head Guard Garroth will take the position of Lord while we search for a proper replacement,” Suddenly all attention was turned towards Garroth. He looked just as shocked as everyone else.

“You, Garroth, were Lord Malik’s most trusted guard. He would rather you take over the position of Lord more than anyone else,”

Garroth seemed at a loss for words as mummering sounded from the people around them. Zenix seemed the most surprised, hints of anger spotting at the sides of his face.

Donna gestured for Garroth to join them at the front of the plaza and hesitantly Garroth made his way up there.

“Garroth, I know it’s a lot to take, but they need a leader in this time. And you're... You're the best person to trust this with,” Garroth gulped nervously before nodding.

“I.. Will do my best,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hoo boy! First real plot difference! Woooo!


	5. Lords and their Guards

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Filler not filler with plot? Yes.

“What?!?! NO!” All attention was turned to Zenix and he froze under everyone’s gaze.

“Zenix, what calls for that outburst?” Garroth turned towards Zenix, he seemed to cower slightly.

“I mean.. I mean that you were at the Lord’s house yesterday! You could’ve been the one to set up that fire!” A couple of gasps emitted through the crowd as Garroth glowered slightly.

“Why would I, in any right mind, murder our Lord?” Zenix was sweating bullets, but his conviction stood strong.

“I don’t know! I can’t read you mind! But you were the last person seen with the lord!”

“Actually, I was with him. We spent the entire day playing with Levin, there was no way he could’ve done anything. Why are you being so accusatory? Isn’t he your mentor? Shouldn’t you trust him with your life?” Aphmau stepped closer to Zenix as she spoke until they were inches apart. Emotions swirled behind Zenix’s eyes but one was clear.

Fear.

“Actually, why are you being accusatory Zenix?” Garroth stepped closer as well, his tone was more curious than Aphmau’s which was full of fury.

“I- Nevermind. It won’t matter in the end,” With that, Zenix stormed off. He grumbled to himself as he went away.

“What is up with that boy...?” Garroth trailed off slightly and shook his head before turning back to Donna. The people gathered around them at this point began to dispearse back to their houses.

“If.. I am lord now. That changes a lot. It messes up the guard schedule. I can’t be head guard and lord,”

“You could always make Zenix head guard. He is your apprentice right? Even if he did… just accuse you,” Before thinking, Aphmau screamed.

“NO!” They looked at her confusedly.

“What do you mean by no?”

“I mean… He’s still an apprentice right! He isn’t as well versed for the position,” Slowly, Garroth nodded.

“I guess that is true. Who would be the head guard though? We don’t have many guards to begin with, so where could we find someone qualified?” Repeating her first mistake from when she first came here, she spoke before her mind could comprehend what she said.

“I’ll do it,” As she said it, she realized this decision was a rash one. She had no fighting experience, nor did she know all that entails to being a guard.

“Aphmau.. Do you even know how to fight?”

“I can if I need to. Besides, I hang around you a lot anyways, it wouldn’t be any different. You could help teach me too,”

“Aphmau, I don’t mean to be rude by any matter, but you barely look like you could hold a sword, let alone win a fight,” An offended gasp left her mouth.

“I can definitely fight! Actually, let’s fight. Right now! Hand me a sword,” She looked expectantly at Garroth before he started laughing.

“Oh Esmund you’re serious. I’m not going to fight you. We both know I’d win very easily. There’s a reason I was head guard and it isn’t just because I’m loyal,” he flexed slightly, which would’ve been more effective if his muscles were actually visible and not covered by armour. Donna stifled a giggle besides them.

“What?” Garroth looked accusatory at Donna, making her laugh a bit harder. She looked at them, a sad look in her eyes despite her soft smile.

“You two never change,” At that, Donna turned and walked towards Emmalyn before Garroth could question her further.

“Well. I.. Doesn’t matter anyways. Back to the matter at hand, Aphmau are you sure? Even if you are somehow qualified enough to act as head guard, it’s a lot of work and can be very hard. We both would have a lot of work on our hands, taking on positions we ran a-” he cut himself off, “that we’re new to,”

“I’m positive,” she looked directly at Garroth's face, determination in her eyes. Garroth sighed.

“Well then. Guess we have a lot of work to do,”

-

Garroth wasn’t kidding when he said that it would be hard. Soon after everyone had dispersed Aphmau and Garroth went to the Lord’s house to see what they could recover from the ashes. There wasn’t much, and there wasn’t any sign of Lady Matilda or Levin either.

While searching, Aphmau found a secret bunker, that of which both of them ventured into hoping to find any sign of life. There wasn’t anything down there besides for a single book. This book held the Lord’s secrets and plans. From ideas he has for the village to mentions of something called ‘Shadow Knights’. The book itself ended with a small letter.

“To whoever may be reading this,

If you’ve somehow gotten your hands on this letter, this means that I am probably dead. Lords from all over have been dying due to unnatural causes, ranging from poisoning, to stab wounds. Many of us don’t know how this is done, for the Lords are often fervently guarded by trusted people. Which leads me to believe the people capable of this may be those we consider close to us.

I’ve been doing a bit of research into something that may have caused people to act like this. I’ve found accounts of guards disappearing for a short period of time before miraculously coming back. While this alone may not seem like a lot, in most cases the guard in question acted differently. They were often portrayed as more aggressive and reserved. 

In these cases the guard eventually do disappear again. This time, permanently. I am unsure of what could cause a guard loyal to a village to suddenly betray and abandon it, but the world is full of so many things. Magick may be the cause of it.

This may not be related, but it could be cases of Shadow Knights. I’ve only found their names only written in one or two texts, however one thing is for sure about them. Shadow Knights have to die to be created. One account in particular talks of watching their best friend die in front of them, only to see them weeks later while traveling. Apparently they are insanely powerful too, as if their life was traded for strength.

That aside, I ask that as I am now dead, that you watch over my wife and child. In most cases the family of the lord also disappears, so I can only hope that they are okay. My life would’ve meant nothing if I couldn’t protect them in the end.

I know you were expecting some grand letter when you opened this book, so I’m sorry that it isn’t all that special. I was Lord of Phoenix Drop. It was my home and I would’ve given my life for it, so I’m hoping my death isn’t in vain and that the people can move past it and grow into a beautiful community.

Best Regards -

Lord Malik”

Taking the book with them, they had left to the Library to sort their thoughts and come up with a plan. The one they came up with sounded easier than it was.

The plan was to try to reconnect with the neighboring village since both of their lords had recently died. They thought that the new leadership could bring unbiased opinions and viewpoints.

They had sent a Raven over to deliver the message of them visiting. It would take about a day to prepare, so on that day Garroth decided to train Aphmau.

To both of their surprises, Aphmau held herself in a fight pretty well. Basic sword movements came easily to her. Although Garroth still did knock her down a couple hundred times. It was obvious that while she had the basics down, she needed a lot of training.

That day passed relatively quickly, the village was quiet the entire day, still mourning their lord, but the future must come.

Thus, is how Garroth and Aphmau found their way to the docks the following day, ready to sail off to the neighboring village of Bright Port.

After a quick conversation with Brendan explaining to them how to pilot a boat, they sailed off to the east.

After about 30 minutes of sailing, the docks came into view. From the boat they could see a staircase leading up the cliff to where the village of Bright Port sat. On the docks sat a female guard with yellow-orange hair held in a low ponytail. Garroth seemed to perk up at the sight of her.

They docked and almost immediately this guard went and crushed Garroth into a hug.

“Geez Azura it’s almost like we haven’t seen each other in months,” Garroth laughed as he patted her back.

“It’s because we haven’t! We used to see each other every month before this whole Lord fiasco started. Speaking of, I’m sorry to hear about Lord Malik. He will be deeply missed. We know how much he cared about his village,” She spoke with a slight accent and her tone was a bit remorseful.

“With that said, you’re lord now! Never would’ve imagined Garroth would be lord some day!” She emphasized his name, as if just being himself was a reason that being lord was unreasonable.

“I take it you two know each other?” Aphmau spoke up and Azura let go of Garroth and changed her attention towards Aphmau.

“You must be the Lady Aphmau that was mentioned in the letter correct? It’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Azura, I’m the head guard here in Bright Port,” She stuck out her hand and Aphmau shook it. She had a firm grip.

“I’ll lead you to the Lord’s house. It’s been a while since we’ve had an official meeting of sorts like this, so please forgive us if it’s a bit messy,” she led them up the stairs and into the village. The village was much different than Phoenix Drop. The obvious difference was the bigger houses. There were also a lot more people roaming the streets than what would normally be seen in their village. One person in particular wore a mask with a smiley face on it and was yelling “speedrun!” as he ran across the plaza. It put things into perspective for Aphmau. She really realized just how poorly their village was before she arrived.

They arrived in front of a house that sat over a small river. There were logs jutting into the water that held up the house. This must be the Lord’s house.

“Lord Burt is just inside. He’s been waiting.”

Azura walked to the door and held it open for them. They walked in and were immediately greeted by a big table in the center of the entrance room. From a room over footsteps could be heard and an older man walked out of the other room. He had black hair and a short beard to match. His clothes were clean and neat, a red and gold coloring to them.

“Ah. Head- I mean. Lord Garroth. A pleasure seeing you. Although, I could’ve wished it was under better circumstances. I’m sorry for your loss,,” he held out his hand and Garroth shook it.

“Same feeling. It’s a shame this meeting couldn’t have been held by our old Lords. Apologies don’t change the past though. We’re here to discuss business,” Lord Burt shook his head.

“Of course. Take a seat. And I assume this is your guard?” he gestured towards Aphmau and she nodded.

“Great. Well then. What did you want to discuss?”

-

From here, the meeting went relatively smoothly. Garroth brought up ideas on how to make both villages stronger and Burt contributed his own ideas. It seemed as though they were both on the same page.

“I think we’ve come to an agreement, Lord Garroth. Admittedly, I wanted to strengthen the bonds our villages used to have so this way we both could prosper. In the next few days, I’ll send over some merchants. We only hope that you can return just as much as we give,” with that, Lord Burt stood up and walked over to Garroth. Garroth stood as well and they shook hands.

“Feel free to come to Bright Port whenever you like. This offer also stretches to all of your people. Our gates are open to you,”

“Thank you Lord Burt. We offer the same to you. Whenever you may need assistance, please let us know and we will do what we can to help.”

With a quick goodbye, they left the Lord’s house, a pep in their step. That went better than they thought it would. By this point the sun was setting.

“We’ve decided to set you two up in one of our unoccupied houses. The night can be a bit dangerous, so it’s probably best to stay the night,” Garroth thanked Azura, but something she said confused Aphmau.

“What do you mean by ‘the night is dangerous?’” Azura raised an eyebrow at her before something clicked in her head.

“Oh yeah. We’ve been having a werewolf problem recently. The eastern wolf tribe tend to hunt at night and we’ve lost a couple people because of them. We wouldn’t want to risk two important people getting hurt,”

Azura led them to a small house on the outskirts of the town. The house overlooked the sea and was nicely decorated. 

“Thank you for everything Azura,” Azura smiled at Garroth.

“It’s always a pleasure Garroth, you don’t need to worry. Anyways, I wish you two a good night. We’ll see you off in the morning,” With that, Azura left them to their own devices. 

For a moment, both Garroth and Aphmau were silent. Taking in the events that occurred during the day. 

“So how did you two meet? Aphmau broke the silence.

“Oh. We met at the guard academy in O’khasis. She had a bit of a crush on me back in the day, but now we’re just friends,”

“Wait. Isn’t O’khasis far away? Why did you become a guard in Phoenix Drop if you were in O’khasis?” Garroth put his hand on Aphmau’s shoulder.

“That’s a story for another night. Now then, how about we go and lay down so we can get back to the village in the morning,” Aphmau nodded and they went up the stairs to find two bedrooms. They went into their separate rooms.

Her mind was relatively calm. As of late, her mind seemed to rush before she went to sleep, but it was silent. She found it nice. Maybe things were changing for the better.

She went to sleep. The night was uneventful. No loud booms or cries to wake them up in the middle of the night. Tivar knows they don’t need any more traumatic events one after the other.

Azura met them outside their house in the morning once they were ready to leave. She walked them to their boat on the docks.

“It was nice seeing new people for once. I'm sure Lord Burt told you this, but you are welcome to come back whenever you want to,”

“Azura, once again thank you for everything. We shall see you again hopefully soon,” Garroth and Azura hugged goodbye before they got on the boat. With a quick wave, they sailed back to Phoenix Drop.

They talked lightly on their trip back. Laughter filled the air as they finally docked their boat. 

Everything was alright.

That was before Dale, one of the guards, came running to the docks anxiety written all over his face. He was panting heavily due to having run there.

“Dale? What’s the problem?” Garroth stepped forward and reached towards Dale slightly. With a yell, he responded.

“Thank Irene you’re back! Brendan’s been shot!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story I may have (mostly) plotted out, but I wanna hear your theories or ideas that you may have in the comments! Who knows, maybe one of your theories may be right, or maybe I'll use an idea someone put in the comments.
> 
> I want this story to be written as much as you as by me. Aphmau's original story laid so many foundations to be followed that it can be a bit hard to break out of what already may exist. I want you all to enjoy this story. Maybe even more than the original!


	6. Familiar Faces

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will Brendan be okay? What even happened? The most important question though is how long it's going to take Aphmau to not murder Zenix

With an exclamation, both Aphmau and Garroth rushed off of the boat, pushing past Dale. In both of their minds a million thoughts ran a mile in a second. However one emotion was clear.

Regret.

They should’ve been here. They should’ve been able to protect Brendan, not letting him get shot. It’s always their village over anything else and the time when they were away another disaster struck.

Who would even attack Brendan though?

Garroth wasn’t sure. There were so many people, and there was even the chance that it was someone not from the village.

To Aphmau it was clear who the culprit was.

Zenix.

They made it to the house close to the hill and burst in. Resting on the bed there was Brendan. However the red surrounding him was all too familiar.

It was obvious from where they stood that Brendan was still breathing, but he seemed pained, even while passed out. Sweat was beading at his forehead as Donna was trying her best to help.

Surrounding Brendan’s bed was Donna, Dale, once he raced in, and Zenix.

That traitor.

“What happened tell me everything!” Garroth exclaimed, examining the room.

Garroth rushed over to see the wound that Brendan had as Zenix started to retell what had apparently happened. Having none of this, Aphmau immediately pinned Zenix to the wall, staring daggers into his soul.

Zenix wore his helmet, hiding his eyes. However from where Aphmau stood she could see the sheen of red. The proof of Zenix’s misdeeds.

“Aphmau what are you doing?” Garroth made his way to Aphmau trying to put himself between her and Zenix.

“I don’t believe Zenix’s story. Something tells me he’s leaving something out,” she shoved Zenix against the wall harder, a soft thud echoing in the house.

“Aphmau whatever are you talking about?!” Garroth put his hand on her shoulder, in an attempt to ground her. She continued on, unbothered.

“Zenix here has done something horrible. Isn’t that right? So tell them. Tell them your misdeeds before I do,” Zenix seemed mad under the helmet. She had him where she wanted him.

“Lady Aphmau I honestly don’t know what you’re talking about. We were patrolling when out of nowhere an arrow fired and hit Brendan. Nothing more to it,”

“Why was Brendan patrolling?”

“Huh?”

“Brendan is not a guard. He’s a farmer. Why in Tivar would Brendan be patrolling?” She shoved him against the wall again and he let out a weak whimper. 

“Aphmau stop it! I’m sure they had a logical reason. What are you even implying?” Garroth pried Aphmau’s hands off of Zenix’s shoulder and placed himself between them. Aphmau was seething.

“Garroth. I’m implying that Zenix shot Brendan. No. I’m not implying actually. I’m saying that’s what happened. Isn’t that right Zenix? How about you take off your helmet, so I can look you in the eyes and see if you’re lying. The eyes are the window to the soul after all,” Zenix seemed scared, or angry. Either way she was breaking his walls, even if she did just reveal to him that she knew. 

“Aphmau that’s enough!” Garroth stepped forwards, towering himself over Aphmau to seem more threatening, “I need you to leave the room. Your input is not good in this atmosphere. We’ll continue this later, what is important is getting help for Brendan.”

He motioned towards the door, and Aphmau scowled. Giving one last glare to Zenix, Aphmau turned away towards the door. Garroth seemed satisfied and turned back towards Donna and Dale.

“I’m sorry about that. Say, did you send Raven to Bright Port for us?” She was at the door glaring at Zenix. He seemed proud of himself.

“We did. However he didn’t come back with you, so we can only assume he went all the way to Bright Port,”

“Great, that means they’ll know the situation. We should send someone back there to see if we could acquire some help,” Aphmau was just about to shut the door when Garroth called her to attention.

“Aphmau, we’ll send you back to Bright Port. I know we were just there not long ago, but hopefully they’ll be open to help us,” Sirens blared in Aphmau’s mind. She was Garroth’s guard. If she were to leave, who would be there to protect him from Zenix?

“Garroth, why not send someone else? I think it’d be best if I were here in the village,” Garroth pinched his helmet where his nose would be and sighed.

“While yes, in most cases it would be best to have you here. However, the village of Bright Port wouldn’t recognize anyone else from the village and could be distrustful of a new face demanding for a doctor. They trust you. I would go myself, however I find that I am needed here. There’s guards here to protect me. I trust you enough to give you this job,” the static in Aphmau’s mind wouldn’t fade, however she accepted her fate.

“If that’s what you find best my lord,” she could see Garroth flinch slightly at that term, but otherwise said nothing. There was some inner turmoil, she was sure about it, however she wasn’t needed here. With a nod, she left the house, taking a moment to breathe the fresh air to calm herself.

Did she react correctly? Was Zenix telling the truth after all? No. He couldn’t be trusted, he killed the old Lord. 

She took deep breaths to try to dispel thoughts like these. Garroth was right. Currently, that is unimportant how it happened. What was important was that they got help for Brendan. With a fast stride, she made her way to the docks.

Overhead, a loud roaring caw sounded out. Looking up, she was caught off guard to find a wyvern swirling around, eventually finding its way towards Aphmau.

Instinctively, she held out her arm and the small wyvern landed on it. She noticed a letter tied to its leg.

She grabbed it and unwrapped the paper. It was a response from Bright Port. They offered to send their doctor over to see what he could do. Relief washed over her before confusion did.

“They said they sent a raven over… Are you the raven?” she looked him dead in its eyes and was caught off guard when it responded.

“Yes. I am Garroth’s wyvern, I am named Raven. However, you probably can’t understand me, so I’ll just nod my head,” The wyvern proceeded to nod his head. The shock was evident on Aphmau’s face.

“You can talk?!” it was Raven’s turn to be surprised.

“You can understand Wyvern speak? Interesting. I haven’t heard of someone being able to understand wyverns since Irene’s bloodline. Are you a descendant of her?”

“I don’t know. Unimportant though. I should probably head to Bright Port now.”

“Ah right. Well, I presume we’ll have a talk about your bloodline later lady Aphmau. Farewell,” With a swift flap, Raven launched himself back into the air and headed deeper into the village, presumably to where Garroth is.

Stuffing the note into her pocket, she headed onto the boat and set sail. On the way there and back Garroth had been behind the wheel, so honestly she was quite nervous to sail the boat. After a few mishaps though she was able to finally figure out how to steer and made her way to Bright Port. On the docks waited two people; Azura and a male dressed in white.

“Lady Aphmau!” Azura waved her over, “We received the letter that was meant for you. You being here I can only presume you got the one we sent back?” She nodded.

“Yes I did. We thank you greatly for your help. Really. We only agreed to help each other not even yesterday and here we are begging for your assistance,” that earned a small chuckle from Azura.

“Like I’ve said before, it’s a pleasure to help. This here is one of our best doctors. Hopefully, he can help Brendan.”

With a nod, the doctor loaded himself onto the ship, taking a seat. 

“Azura thank you so much. Please, feel free to call us in case of an emergency. Or if you just need some help. Our hand is always offered out for you to take,” Azura laughed.

“Yes yes I know, but thank you Lady Aphmau. Now. You should get going,”

Quickly they sailed back to Phoenix Drop and delivered the doctor to Brendan. Once he was in the room, the doctor immediately ushered everyone outside. 

“Hopefully he’ll be fine,” Garroth turned to look at Aphmau, however once again her attention was focused on Zenix, who was trying his best to sneak away. She walked over and gripped his arm.

“Let’s talk. Shall we?” Venom dripped off of her words as she gave her best smile. Malice laid behind it though. 

“Aphmau, I am unsure why you distrust him so much, but if you are so adamant about it, we’ll have a talk.”

Garroth led them to a bigger building nearby. It was one that Aphmau had helped renovate in hopes of it becoming a Guard’s station. 

Inside was cleaned up. There was a table in the middle of a room that split off and headed into a different room. In that other room there were small rooms that would act as cells.

Aphmau walked over to the table and slammed her hand on it, catching everyone’s attention.

“Now then. Zenix. In detail, retell all of the events that took place. If you lie, I will know,”

“Uhh well. Me and Brendan were patrolling-” He stuttered out. Aphmau cut him off.

“Why were you patrolling with Brendan? Dale is a perfectly capable guard. You could’ve gone with him,”

“Well. Dale was busy with his family. His wife is pregnant after all, he was watching after her,” Aphmau raised an eyebrow at him.

“So. If I were to ask Dale if he was busy during the time Brendan was shot, he would tell me he was with family?” Zenix seemed to freeze.

“Uhm. I mean. He was with his family and I didn’t want to take that away from him! So I uhh. Asked Brendan to come along instead,”

“Uh huh. Sure,” Zenix started fiddling with his gloves.

“So we were patrolling. Over by the Lord’s old house specifically. And uh. Out of nowhere an arrow came whizzing by and hit Brendan,”

“What direction did the arrow come from?”

“Why does this matter?” 

“Well. If it wasn’t you, we could go to where the arrow was shot to see if there was any evidence left behind by the culprit,”

“It uh. Came from the North? Yeah, the North. We were walking towards the Lord’s house and the arrow fired.”

“I thought you were already at the Lord’s house when he got hit?”

“He. We weren’t quite there yet. Sorry, guess I just forgot,”

“Alright then.. What did you do once Brendan got hit?”

“I-” he paused, before he started yelling, “Why are you badgering me!? I already told you all I did! I’m not hiding anything! I didn’t attack Brendan!” He sounded desperate, but truthful. 

Thinking about it, how would he be able to shoot Brendan from a close up distance as he said he was? Either he’s lying about something, or she’s wrongfully accusing him.

She had a trump card though.

“You did attack someone though,” Zenix froze.

“What?”

“I know what you did. So either confess now, or leave. Either way I’m not letting you get close to Garroth,”

“How do you-”

“Aphmau I think that’s enough. Zenix isn’t lying. You can hear it in his voice. I’ve known him for longer than you have, I know how he’s like. He’s freaking out because he’s being falsely accused,” Garroth crossed his arms sternly. Aphmau sputtered helplessly.

“How can you say that?! He did something! Either way, this whole situation is his fault!”

“How so?” She opened her mouth to start screaming before closing it. No way would Garroth believe that Zenix killed the old Lord. Even if they both witnessed it first hand. She’d sound insane. She was already sounding insane.

“I- he,” she let out a frustrated groan, “I don’t have the evidence. But I promise that this is his fault. Even if he wasn’t the one to fire the arrow, he’s at fault here,”

“Aphmau, I think you need to get some fresh air. You don’t have the evidence and yet you accuse him? These factless accusations are not what we need. It’s stressful enough already,” From underneath his helmet, if Aphmau had to guess, Zenix was smiling. He was winning because he had Garroth underneath his thumb.

“Fine. But I’m keeping an eye on you,” Aphmau pointed at Zenix and hesitantly made her way to the door. This was the second time today that she had been kicked out of a building. Albeit it was inadvertently her fault, but she was right. She just needed to get them to see.

Thoughtlessly, she started walking towards the lord’s house- Old, lord’s house. Her feet thought for her, bringing her to the place that would have evidence of the attack. 

She arrived at the burnt house and all was quiet. An eerie feeling rested in the air, suffocating her slightly. She had to look though. Even though last time she was here, she found nothing besides the Lord’s bunker. 

She looked over the entire house, finding nothing but burnt remains that was there the last time she was here. She looked over the surrounding bushes and trees, finding nothing.

She was about to leave when a rustling caught her attention.

Fwip.

An arrow landed by her head.

Unsheathing her sword she turned around to where the arrow had been fired. It was up on the hill. From the north.

“Zenix you’re a dead man!”

The rustling from the bushes up on the hill got louder and Aphmau quickly made her way up there, preparing herself just in case another arrow was fired.

“Wait, wait! I’m sorry!”

It was a voice Aphmau didn’t recognize. He sounded young, maybe in his early twenties. The voice was panicked.

She slowed down her movements to a confused halt and held out her sword towards where the voice came from.

“Reveal yourself,”

More rustling came from the bush before a figure stood up, his hands held by his head.

A small gasp came from Aphmau. She recognized this man. It was the person cloaked in green that she had seen when she woke up in the forest. Looking more closely, he had on a brown tunic. A giant green scarf that covered the bottom of his face and fell past his hips rested heavily on his shoulders. His left arm was covered in a metal armour broken up into 3 parts. His shoulder, his bicep, and then the rest of his arm and even his hand was covered in this armour. There were some inscriptions on it as well, just some basic shapes. However one stuck out to her. It seemed to look like a small flame with a triangle in the center. She pointed at him.

“You’re that green man!” The guy’s face went from worried to confused as he slightly lowered his hands. Aphmau lowered her sword slightly as well.

“I’m the… what?”

“You’re the one who led me to the village. I have so many questions for you!” she paused, a second of realization crossed her face, “Wait, why did you fire an arrow at me!?!” She shoved her sword back up to be pointing at the stranger. He stuck his hands up again.

“Wait, I’m. Sorry about that. I wasn’t trying to hit you. I thought you were Zenix,” Her eyes widened slightly as she lowered her sword again.

“You know Zenix?”

“Unfortunately,”

Something clicked in her mind.

“Are you the one who shot Brendan?” A grimace spread across his face.

“I didn’t mean to. I was going for Zenix and he pulled Brendan in front of him, having the arrow hit him instead,” Aphmau gasped excitedly before exclaiming.

“I knew this was all his fault!” The stranger cocked his head slightly.

“What do you mean by that?”

“I mean he’s the reason they’re hurt! He’s also the one who killed the lord, so I knew he was up to no good,” The Stranger’s eyes widened.

“You remember..? How?”

“I’m honestly not sure. From what I’ve deduced, that man changed everyone’s memories, so I don’t know why mine are fine,” After Aphmau finished her sentence, the stranger brought his hand to his mouth in a thinking movement.

“Could it… It could be...” He was mumbling to himself.

“What are you mumbling about?” He was startled out of whatever thinking trance he was in.

“Nothing of importance. Why are you out here anyways?”

“I was looking for whatever evidence I could find that could prove Zenix did something. I found you, so I found my evidence. The problem is trying to bring you back to the village. Something tells me you aren’t open to coming back with me.” The stranger chuckled slightly.

“You’re right there. I have no intention of going to the village and confessing Zenix’s sins. Not like they’d believe me anyways. There’s also a few people I’m not quite ready to see,”

“True. Do you have something that I could use as proof at least? It would be a shame to come all this way and bring back nothing to Garroth.” A moment of fear sparked in the stranger’s eyes.

“Wait.. Did you leave Garroth alone?!” Fear sparked in Aphmau’s mind as well.

“I.. Oh no. I should be there. Zenix could be doing something to him. I need to go,” Aphmau turned around to start to leave. The stranger grabbed her arm.

“Wait. Take this,” He handed her a bow, “This is Zenix’s bow. If you were to bring it back, it would incriminate him,” She hesitantly grabs it and inspects it. It is Zenix’s bow. How this stranger got his hand on it, she doesn’t know.

“Thank you uhh…”

“Just… Call me Geist,” Ghost, her mind provided her. 

“Okay. Geist. I’ll be back soon. I still have questions,” Geist nodded.

“I can make no promises I’ll still be here. I’m only watching over for a small time, then I’ll be gone,” He let go of her arm and she turned and left.

Bow in hand, she raced back to the village in record time. There were no screams, so she could only assume everything was alright.

She ran to the makeshift guard station, finding it empty. Maybe they were back with Brendan.

She made her way there, only to find the Doctor and Brendan still.

“Have you possibly seen Garroth and Zenix since we’ve first left?” The Doctor raised his eyebrow.

“No I haven’t. I’ll let you know if I see them though,”

With a quick thanks she continued her search. She checked the plaza, library, every single house, and yet couldn’t find them. Dread pooled in her stomach.

As a last ditch effort, she checked the surrounding forest, searching for any type of sound. Overhead she heard a screech. It was Raven.

He was flying in circles over her. Once he had her attention, he began to fly deeper into the forest. Raven must be leading her somewhere.

Unsheathing her sword quickly, she started following Raven. She found her way to a scene she hadn’t expected. There was no blood nor yelling. Garroth just stood there, looking at something.

Being as silent as possible, she reached her head to look past him. A small gasp escaped her lips.

In front of them was Zenix, beaten and unconscious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this took so long to get out, school hit me hard and I had a lot of catching up to do after being quarantined for a week. Should be back to a normal posting schedule though!
> 
> Also how'd you like our little ghosty boy? You should recognize him from the original story. But hey! More character stuff with him before season 2!


	7. Hiatus

I'm so sorry. You were probably expecting an update huh? 

To be blunt, I am experiencing the worst writer's block I've ever had. I can barely write 2 words. Honestly feels like just to write I have to jump over a mile long pit and I have weights tied to me. Hopefully this'll end soon and I can get yall the next chapter.

I sincerely apologize 

~ Mess

**Author's Note:**

> My first ever works and it's a huge project. I have most of this already plotted out so it's just the task of actually writing it. Hope you all stick around for the journey!


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